Ferries tempt hungry to answer weighty question

Ferry operators in Cornwall are tempting chunky passengers to take part in stability tests on their vessels with free pasties and beer.

The operators of ferries running in Falmouth Bay and up and down the river Fal are checking that their vessels meet safety regulations.

Rather than using sandbags or other dead weights they have decided it would be better to use real people. But for the tests to be effective they need heavier people - just the sort who may be tempted with offers of free food and drink.

The 120 volunteers will be weighed at the start of the test and then asked to move in groups from one of the boats to the other to make sure they are safe.

Garrick Royle, of Cornwall Ferries, which runs boats from Falmouth, said: "All the volunteers have to do is sit on a ferry, move a bit, and then get on the next one." Checks are needed because the average weight of a person for the purposes of safety tests on boats is deemed to have increased.

Previously, for the purposes of tests it was accepted that the average person would weigh 65kg (a little over 10 stone). Now the regulations specify the average weight as 75kg (almost 12 stone).

Austin Johns, of Enterprise Boats, which is also taking part in the tests, said: "I hadn't noticed passengers getting fatter. If they can fit through the ferry doors they can get on." He said he was worried the capacity of some of the ferries could be reduced and income lost.

It is possible that further tests may be needed again within a few years.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has raised concerns that the 75kg mark may not be adequate following an accident in which a woman drowned after a hired cruiser capsized in the Norfolk Broads.

An investigation found that the 10 people on board weighed on average more than 75kg and it has been suggested that the figure should be reviewed.